The marketing power of the likes of Nash, Fox, Korda etc has us drawn to their products on virtually any search...…. You have to sometimes dig a bit deeper to find the less fashionable brands...… I used to use the AD board to have a browse for certain items. But they don't do all brands these days, and push the big names...………. I think some companies are living off their past reputation. The likes of Trakker and Aqua for instance, used to be associated with good quality, but imo, everything out there is much of a muchness in terms of build quality and materials used.(Unless you can go top top end) You've only got to check the wayward stitching to realise that these products aren't really checked for quality anymore. So they may hit us with the R&D blag, but they are certainly cutting corners at the other end of the production line...… This makes things very hit and miss imo….. You could buy a cheaper brand with really good work done on it and like wise a more expensive brand that was rushed out the factory door to fill an order, just depends who's worked on it and who's checked it.... Some of the retail prices charged on certain kit, you'd expect a more thorough quality control. I think this is where having things manufactured over sea's becomes a problem. Once they are on the boat, there's no going back, they have to be sold regardless of quality. Shelves need filling and tills need to ring.....
I got very lucky with this bag at £16.... Really well made and an insulated compartment on top, not a known brand but every bit as good as similar bags sold for £40 plus..... Some cheap items I've bought on-line have turned out to be poor quality, but I can say the same for known brands too. Like I say, it's a bit hit and miss across the board imo….